Stamp-vending machine



J. 1. SCH ERMACK. STAMP VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED m. I917- 1,399,889. Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

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STAMP VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC; 17, 1917.

1,399, 89, Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

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STAMP VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 05011.1917.

1,399,889, Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

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STAMP VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 050 17, 191;.

1,399,389, Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

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STAMP VENDING MACHlNE. APELICATION FILED 0mm. 19!?- 1,399, 89. Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

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STAMP VENDING MACHINE. 1 APPLICATION FILED nzc.11. 1917. I Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

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STAMP VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 17, 1911.

Patented Dec.13,1921.

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UNiTEo srATEs PATIENT oralea.

JOSEPII J'. SCHEBMACK, OF DETROIT, 1V[IGHIGA1 T, ASSIGNOR TO THE SCI-IEBMACK CORPORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, -A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

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Specification of te s l Patented Dec. 13,1921.

Application filed December 17,: 1917.. Serial No. 207,579.

7 To all whom it may concern:

Vending Machines, of which the following is a specification reference being had therein to-the accompanying drawing 1 f This invention relates to a stamp'vending machine and includes mechanisms somewhat similar in construction and operation to that Y disclosed in my pending application filed Dec. 17 1917, Serial No. 207,580.

The present invention aims to provide a vending machine for dispensing postage stamps, for instance four one,cent"stamps, and the mechanisms employed for this purpose are not placed in an operable condition until a prescribed coin is deposited inthe The stamp feeding devices are adapted to remove a. prescribed number of stamps from rolls or magazines and with slight modification the machine may dispense from one roll or magazine stamps of a character and denomination materially different from the stamps removed from the other roll or magazine, but as set forth in the beginning, the machine has been especially designed forUnited States one cent stamps and by depositing a nickel in the machine four such stamps may be obtained.

'My invention will be hereinafter specifically described and then claimed, 'and re fthe drawlngs,

erence will now be had to wherein v I L I F igurel is a front elevation of the'stamp Fig. 2 is a view of one side of all" the vending mechanism as supported by the frontwall of the vending machine; 7 Fig. 3 is'a'similar view'showing the opposite side of the mechanism; E Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a vending mechanismremoved from the frontwall of themachine and showing a portion of the coin chute; I

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of-a coin wheel; M

Fig. 7 is arear. elevation of thefront wall the same;

of the machine, showing the coin chute in rear elevation and certain partsin section;

Fig. 8 is a rear elevation of the stamp vending mechanism;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a portion of the coin chute showing an automatic empty, sign. therefor;

Fig. 10 shows detail views ofthe empty sign;

Fig. 11 shows views of .a portion of the sign mechanism;

Fig. 12 is 'a side elevation of a portion of the machine showingthe reciprocable stamp feeding device;

Fig. 18 is a rear elevation of a portion of Fig. 14 shows viewsof a cam and crank wheel;

. F 15 shows views of a knife carrier associated with the reciprocatory feeding device; i

Fig. 16 is a perspective view of a lever associated with the cam and crank wheel shown in Fig. 14,; j v

- Fig. 17 is a vertical sectional view of. a portion ofthe machine showing the reciprocatory stamp feedingzdevice and its actuating cams; I h

Fig. 18'shows'views of one of the actuatincams;

*ig. 19 is aside elevation of a portion of the reciprocatory stamp feeding device. 7

In the drawing, the reference numeral 1 denotes the front wall of a vending machine, and this wall is adapted to form. part of a conventional form of casing (not shown). Tlie'wall lhasthenpper end thereof provided with a'recess 2 and an opening 3 so .that a suitable coin, as a nickle may be deposited in themachine. Adjacent the recess 2 is a name plate 4 having instructions as to the deposit of a coin and the operation of the machine and adjacent the name plate 4 is an opening "5 which perniitsof stamps 6 being displayed from the rear side of the front wall 1, the stamps being held by afslide 7 in a suitable holder8 attached to the wall 1.

Midway of the wall 1 is a drive shaft "opening 9 and a register opening 10, and

farther down the wall are openings 11 and 12, the former being covered by a trans parent plate or piece of glass 15 at the rear side of the wall 1 and the latter opening being adapted to communicate with a chute 14 which conveys stamps to the opening 12 so that the fingers may be inserted in the opening and the stamps removed.

The rear side of the wall 1 has bosses 15 and connected thereto by screws 16 or other fastening means is a chute frame 17, and said chute frame has detachable sections 18 that will cooperate therewith in providing the chute that extends from the upper end of the machine to the lower end thereof. Suitably connected to the rear side of the chute frame 17 is a main frame 19 providing sets of side bearings 20 and 21 for a drive shaft 22 and a driven shaft 23, these shafts having meshing gear wheels 24 at the rear ends thereof, so that movement of the drive shaft 22 may be imparted to the driven shaft 23. The drive shaft 22 extends through the opening 9 of the wall 1 and has a suitable crank or handle 25 so that it may be operated. 1

On the forward end of the driven shaft 23' within an opening 26 provided therefor in the chute frame 17 is a coin wheel 27 having the periphery thereof provided with a series of ratchet teeth 28 and the forward side of said wheel has a slot or coin pocket 29 adapted to receive a coin 30*. On the rear side of said coin wheel are two extensions 30 and 31, and a. locking pawl 32 is the coin wheel by a coiled retractile spring 34; the construction of the coin wheel, the locking pawl and the arrangement thereof being best shown in Figs. 9 to 12 inclusive. Extending upwardly from the frame 19 is an upright 44 and attached to said upright is a spool frame 45, having spindles 46 adapted to receive rolls 47 and 48 of strip stamps, which are retained on said spindles by a gate 49 having the upper end thereof pivotally connected to the upright 44.

Considering the reciprocatory stamp feeding mechanism, an auxiliary frame is attached to the chute frame 17, as at 71 and the auxiliary frame provides a strip frame 72 having a guide 73. The strip guide 73 however provides guides 73 for a reciproable feeding device 74 having a plurality of spring pressed fingers 75 adapted to engage in the perforations of a strip of stamps.

The reciprocable feeding device 74 has a slotted arm or member 7 6 loosely embracing the drive shaft 22 and on the drive shaft is a cam member 77 adapted for raising and lowering the slotted member 76. The fingers 75 will recede over' a strip of stamps when the feeding device is raised, but will frictionally engage the strip when the feeding device is lowered and eventually enter perforations so as to properly position stamps to be severed.

The auxiliary frame 7 O has the lower end thereof provided with a stationary blade 78, andsaid frame has bearings 7 9 for a shaft 80. On the shaft 80 is a rock member 81 having an upwardly extending arm 82 adapted to be actuated by a cam 83.011 the drive shaft 22. The rock member 81 which is in the form of a yoke has a depending arm 84 extending into the slotted end 85 of a blade carrier 86, said blade carrier having a blade 87 movable against the stationary blade 78 0f the uxiliary frame 70. The blade carrier 86 is connected by a spring 88 to the arm 84 and by springs 89 to the strip frame 72.

The strip of stamps from the roll 48 is adapted to pass downwardly and between the strip frame 72 andthe guide 73, to be shifted by the reciprocable stamp feeding device 74 and severed by'the knife carrier 87, when the reciprocable stamp feeding device and knife carrier are actuated directly from the drive shaft 22. The upwardly extending arm 82 is connected bya coiled retractile spring 90 to the strip frame 72, so that said arm will be normally held in engagement with its actuating cam.

Considering certain accessories in connection with the rotary and reciprocable stamp vending mechanisms as just described, there is a rotary coin carrier 91 displayed through the opening 11 of the wall 1 and this, rotary carrier is adapted to receive coins from the chute frame and display the same, before the coins are eventually discharged into the lower part of the machine, to be collected at will. The coin carrier'91 (seeFig. 7) is mounted on a shaft 92 journaled in the chute frame and the rear end of the shaft has'what may be termed a star wheel 93, adapted to be intermittently engaged by a crank 94 on a wheel 95 rotatable on a stub shaft 96 carried by the chute frame 17. The wheel 95 has a gear 97 (see Fig. 8) meshing with a gear 98 on the drive shaft 22 so that when the machine is operated the star wheel 93 and the coin carrier 91 will be intermittently operated.

Pivotallv connected to the chute frame 17, as at 99 and extending under the wheel 95 is a lever 100 and the elements just mentioned are shown in detail in Figs. 4, 14, 15 and 16. The lever 100 has a side extension 101 adapted to be engaged by a cam 102 forming part of the wheel 95, and said lever is connected by a link103 to the crank 104 by a registering device 105, said device being of well known type adapted to display numbers through the opening 10 of the wall 1 to indicate the number of coins deposited in the machine from which can be computed the number of stamps dispensed. The lever 100 is connected by a spring 106 to the chute frame 17 The coin carrier 91 receives coins from the chute, displays the coins and eventually deposits the same in the lower part of the chute and then into the lower part of the machine.

At the upper portion of the chute frame 17 is a magnetic device 107 adapted to vprevent spurious coins from passing downwardly in the chute and placing the machine in operative condition. Another precaution is that of preventing coins from being deposited in the chute when the machine is empty or devoid of stamps and this mechanism consists of an empty sign plate 108 slidable in the upper end of thechute frame 17 The sign 109 of said plate is adapted to be displayed at the opening 3 when the machine is empty and said sign plate is connected by a coiled retractile spring 110 to the upright 44 of the frame 19. Pivotally connected to the upright 44: is a tiltable member 111 and said member has a portion 112 adapted to engage the inner end of the sign plate 108 and hold the same extended, so as not to display the sign 109 and not interfere with the deposit of a coin in the machine.

It is thought that in view of the operation of the reoiprocatory stamp feeding mechanisms as previously outlined, that further operation of the machine will be readily understood, and while in the drawings there are illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that the structural elements are susceptible to such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. In a stamp vending machine, a stationary strip frame adapted to have a strip of stamps move thereon, guides carried by said frame, a vertically disposedv reciprocable stamp feeding device in the guides of said frame and including fingers as the sole stamp engaging means, a drive shaft, a slotted arm attached to said feeding device and through which said drive shaft extends, a cam on said drive shaft to engage said arm and adapted to reciprocate said device and cause said device to feed stamps on said strip frame, a stamp severing knife at the lower end of said strip frame, a cam on said drive shaft for moving said knife to a retracted position, and means adapted to cause said knife to sever stamps when said knife is released.

2. A stamp vending machine as characterized in claim 1, wherein said strip frame has a stationary knife and said movable knife is supported by a holder actuated in a severing direction by springs attached thereto.

3. In a stamp vending machine, a strip frame adapted to have stamps move downwardly in front thereof, a drive shaft above said frame, a slotted arm on said shaft,"a cam on said shaft adapted to reciprocate said arm, and a stamp feeding device in front of said strip frame attached to said arm and having fingers normally against the stamps and adapted to shift the stamps downwardly .on said strip frame.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH J. SCHERMACK. Witnesses:

KARL H. BUTLER, ANNA M. DORR. 

